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Subscription plans like the Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus have exploded over the past few years as video game prices were hiked to $70 starting this generation. Multiple video game vendors have also launched their equivalents to the plans from Sony and Microsoft, with examples including Nintendo Switch Online, EA Play, Ubisoft+, and Prime Gaming. However, Game Pass and PS Plus are embedded into the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, making them the most important for the majority of gamers.
Today, these plans are among the primary factors while choosing between Sony and Microsoft consoles for many. They bring a library of hundreds of games for a small monthly fee, making console ownership more economically feasible. In this post-pandemic market troubled by recession and massive inflation, more and more gamers are thus resorting towards these options over buying every game for $70 flat.
In this article, we will pit Microsoft Game Pass and PS Plus against each other and try to answer which is more value for money for gamers.
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Sony's PS Plus is stealing the thunder from Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass
For a long time, Game Pass was the only major subscription plan in the market, ever since it launched back in 2017. Sony is much more recent to the party, having only launched their PS Plus plans back in early 2022.
The fundamental idea for both of these plans is pretty much the same: bundle a ton of games for a small monthly price. Players will lose access to all of the titles as soon as they stop paying the fee to the companies.
Pricing and features
Both Microsoft and Xbox have launched a few tiers to the plan. Initially, the base tier started at $10, with higher options going for up to $16-17. However, Microsoft recently hiked the prices of the Game Pass Standard edition to $11/month, making it the more expensive option.
How much does the hardware to use these plans cost?
Microsoft has a secret weapon that the Sony PlayStation lacks: Windows. Game Pass for PC also sells for the same cost and allows players with even the cheapest computers to play console-quality video games via Xbox cloud streaming, which is sold as a Game Pass Ultimate feature.
Microsoft also sells the cheaper Series S console, which drastically reduces the lower barrier of entry to the Game Pass library. Sony upright loses this game, with their cheapest console priced at $400.
Verdict
In a study, both the Xbox Game Pass and the PS Plus were jointly ranked at the #2 position in terms of value for money, only behind the Nintendo Switch Online.
However, we believe Game Pass is more worth the price tag since it has a much lower cost of entry. Players can start enjoying the majority of the subscription service's offering on an entry-level PC or an Xbox Series S. Thus, although the PS Plus is a lucrative option, the Game Pass is the clear winner as of now.
